Air Quality

Lord Hunt of Chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that air quality in London will meet the European Union standards; how these plans will be published; and whether the level will be met before the Olympic Games in 2012.

Lord Henley: The Government take their air quality obligations very seriously and are working towards full compliance with European air quality standards. The UK is projected to meet particulate matter or PM10 limits, including in the very few locations in London that are over the limit value, and move to full compliance by 2011 (in time for the Olympics). Much of the UK, outside major urban areas, already meets the EU air quality limits for nitrogen dioxide (NO2), but, along with many other European countries, faces a challenge on achieving this in large urban areas such as London.
	The UK Government intend to apply for additional time to meet the NO2 limit value by 2015 and will be putting forward plans for this in 2011. The Mayor of London is responsible for air quality in the capital and we are working with him and the Greater London Authority to ensure London has effective measures to meet the NO2 limits in the shortest time possible.

Banking

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the commission to consider separating retail and investment banking will have an independent secretariat or have a secretariat based in HM Treasury or the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government when vacancies for positions on the commission to consider separating retail and investment banking will be advertised.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether positions on the commission to consider separating retail and investment banking will be filled in accordance with best practice for public appointments.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what action will be taken to ensure that members of the commission to consider separating retail and investment banking have no interests which would have an adverse impact on their independence or appearance of independence from the finance industry or the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the terms of reference of the proposed commission to consider separating retail and investment banking; and whether the commission will meet in public.

Baroness Wilcox: The Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills are committed to the coalition agreement pledge to take steps to reduce systemic risk in the banking system, foster diversity in financial services, promote mutuals and create a more competitive banking industry. The independent banking commission forms part of this agenda.
	The remit of the commission is outlined in the commission's terms of reference, which are a matter of public record. The Chancellor announced the membership of the commission on 16 June. All appointments are being made in line with proper procedures. The Government are satisfied that there are no conflicts of interest that will prevent the commissioners from carrying out their duties effectively. Proper arrangements for handling such future conflicts of interest that may arise will be put in place. Details of the Secretariat and other functions are still being considered.
	As an independent commission, it will be at the commissioners' discretion to consider representations or evidence received on any relevant topic, and to decide the nature of any meetings.

Broadband Delivery UK

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Wilcox on 9 June (WA 42), who are the members of the team of Broadband Delivery UK.

Baroness Wilcox: Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) was set up on 1 April 2010 within the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). It is led by chief executive Adrian Kamellard who reports to a BIS senior civil servant. Other current members of BDUK are:
	four civil servants on loan from Her Majesty's Treasury (2.6 full-time equivalent-FTE);one civil servant from BIS (1 FTE);three private sector secondees (all 0.6 FTE) from Pinsent Masons LLP;Analysys Mason Ltd and Predictable Network Solutions Ltd;an official (0.4 FTE) from a regional development agency (Yorkshire Forward); andone full-time agency staff member.

Community Broadband Network Ltd

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Wilcox on 10 June (WA 55), what measures were in place to verify the £30,000 and £42,500 paid by the Countryside Agency and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs respectively to Community Broadband Network Ltd (CBN Ltd) in 2004 and 2005 to support a mentoring scheme for local broadband projects; to whom those monies were allocated by CBN Ltd; how many mentor man days were provided by CBN Ltd, giving the costs in each instance; how the £8,000 paid by the Countryside Agency to CBN Ltd to support part of the development of the CBN website was allocated; what tendering process was employed by CBN Ltd for the website development; and whether they will place all details and audit reports on those grants in the Library of the House.

Lord Henley: The information requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Credit Industry Fraud Avoidance System

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received about the proposal that the UK Border Agency share data with the Credit Industry Fraud Avoidance System; and whether they will place copies of their responses in the Library of the House.

Baroness Neville-Jones: Two representations concerning the proposal that the UK Border Agency share data with the credit industry fraud avoidance system (CIFAS) have been received and are currently under consideration. I will arrange for the UK Border Agency's replies to be placed in the House Library in due course.

Disabled People: Work Capability Assessments

Baroness Thomas of Winchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have identified improvements to the work capability assessments following independent and Department for Work and Pensions reports; and, if so, when they plan to implement any changes.

Lord Freud: The purpose of the department-led review of the work capability assessment was to establish whether the work capability assessment is achieving its aim of correctly identifying an individual's capability for work, and to consider how it can better account for an individual's adaptation to their condition, enabling a more accurate assessment of their functional capability for work. The report was published on 29 March and made a number of recommendations for developing the work capability assessment. We are currently considering these recommendations.
	The Government also have a statutory commitment to an independent review of the operation of the work capability assessment annually for the first five years. We are in the process of commissioning this review and aim for it to report before the end of the year.

Employment: Work Programme

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they are ensuring that medium-sized providers of welfare to work services can effectively compete with large-scale prime providers.

Lord Freud: One of the key areas we will evaluate in determining who is asked to deliver the work programme will be on bidding organisations' track record on successfully developing and managing supply chains. We are clear that there will be a role for medium providers in the delivery of the work programme.

Employment: Work Programme

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to protecting small voluntary sector niche providers in introducing the welfare to work programme.

Lord Freud: One of the key areas we will evaluate in determining who is asked to deliver the work programme will be on bidding organisations' track record on successfully developing and managing supply chains. We are clear that there will be a role for small voluntary providers in the delivery of the work programme.

Energy: Nuclear Power

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will introduce legislation to create a statutory regulator for the nuclear energy sector.

Lord Freud: Statutory regulation of the nuclear energy sector is currently the responsibility of a range of bodies. The Government attach great importance to the ongoing effective regulation of the nuclear energy sector and are currently considering future arrangements.

Government Departments: Expenditure Cuts

Lord Barnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment each department has made of the effect on staff levels of the proposed expenditure cuts announced on 24 May.

Lord Sassoon: It will be for departments to determine the exact workforce implications in line with their overall budget reductions.
	By acting now, we have reduced the risk of adverse market conditions, which would mean higher interest rates for all, stifle recovery and make the challenges ahead even harder. The Government also expect jobs to be created in the private sector as a consequence of the action we are taking to hold interest rates down.
	The Government are committed to protecting jobs and supporting job creation: the policies upon which the coalition has agreed will support workers and firms through the economic recovery.

Health: Drugs

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Drayson on 23 March (WA 279-80), whether they will publish the summaries or reports of the 15 grant-aided scientific studies on benzodiazepines and of the five further studies carried out after 1996.

Baroness Wilcox: The Medical Research Council does not routinely publish results of grant-funded studies: the dissemination of research findings is a task undertaken by grant-holders through publication in peer-reviewed journals. It is the responsibility of the relevant grant holders to publish summaries or reports of the eight grant-funded and seven intramural scientific studies on benzodiazepines, or the five further studies carried out after 1996.

House of Lords: Chamber

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask the Chairman of Committees whether, in the light of the level of overcrowding of the House of Lords chamber and the forthcoming introductions of new members, he will consider measures to increase the space available by extending the chamber or using gallery space for members' seating or both.

Lord Brabazon of Tara: The Administration and Works Committee is due to consider overcrowding in the Chamber at its next meeting, on Tuesday 29 June. The discussion will encompass the two ideas mentioned by the noble Lord.

House of Lords: Reform

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ensure that any proposals from the committee on House of Lords reform for a wholly or partly elected second chamber will be accompanied by a re-allocation of powers to each chamber and the repeal of the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949.

Lord McNally: The Government believe that the basic relationship between the two Houses, as set out in the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949, should continue when the House of Lords is reformed.

Independent Networks Co-operative Association

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Wilcox on 10 June (WA 55), why the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills issued a formal grant offer letter on 17 December 2009 for up to £150,000 to Malcolm Corbett as chief executive of the Independent Networks Co-operative Association when, as acting chief executive officer of Community Broadband Networks Ltd, he had not filed and received registration of the annual returns and accounts of Community Broadband Networks Ltd for the years 2005-08.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the offer made by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on 29 June 2009 to Mr Malcolm Corbett for a grant to contribute to the cost of running the Independent Networks Co-operative Association took account of its chief executive officer not, as chief executive officer of Community Broadband Networks Ltd, filing annual returns and accounts from 31 December 2005 to 31 December 2008 with the Financial Services Authority.

Baroness Wilcox: I have nothing further to add to previous Answers on this subject, provided at Hansard 9 June cols. WA46-47, 10 June col. WA55, 15 June col. WA 104, 15 June col. WA104, 15 June cols. WA 103-04, 15 June col. WA 105, 15 June col. WA 105, 15 June col. WA 104, 15 June col. WA 103, 15 June col. WA 103 and 16 June col. WA 119.

Independent Networks Co-operative Association

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the official record of a meeting on 30 March led by Guy Jarvis to discuss future broadband delivery with the Head of Broadband Policy and Programmes at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills includes all discussion at the meeting about the formation, individuals and management of Community Broadband Network and Independent Networks Co-operatives Association; whether that record was passed to the Permanent Secretary of the department; and, if so, on what date.

Baroness Wilcox: A note of the meeting has been provided to a member of the public and all those who attended the meeting, having been the subject of a Freedom of Information request. Additionally, the note will shortly be available at: www.bis.gov.uk/site/foi/information-released.
	It was not passed to the Permanent Secretary.

Natural England

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review the remit and performance of Natural England, taking into account the cost of that body, including the cost to the public and the private sectors of compliance with its regulatory functions.

Lord Henley: The Queen's Speech announced the Government's intention to bring forward a Bill to reform public bodies. Defra, along with other sponsor departments, is carrying out a critical examination of the number and cost of its arm's-length bodies. Natural England is being considered as part of that review.

NHS: Dentistry

Lord Colwyn: To ask Her Majesty's Government which bodies regulate, inspect and set standards for dental practices in England.

Earl Howe: The General Dental Council (GDC) protects the public by regulating the dental team. The GDC registers appropriately qualified dental professionals, sets standards of dental practice and conduct and assesses the quality of dental education.
	The Medicines and Health products Regulatory Agency is responsible for the regulation of medicines, medical devices and equipment used in healthcare including enforcement of the medical devices directive.
	The Health and Safety Executive protects people against risks to health or safety arising out of work activities by enforcing legislation including the Ionising Radiations Regulations and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations.
	The NHS Dental Services Division of the NHS Business Services Authority is responsible for establishing the probity of payment claims for dentists working in the National Health Service general dental services and making payments to them for the work they have done.
	The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010 require all providers of primary dental care that provide an activity specified in these regulations to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) from April 2011. The CQC will regulate dental practices to ensure they are meeting essential levels of quality and safety. In this connection, the commission's staff will conduct practice inspections, consult patients and analyse information on the work of the practices including any untoward incidents. Practices, which comply with existing regulatory requirements, should have little difficulty in meeting the CQC's standards.

NHS: Dentistry

Lord Colwyn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of regulation on dental practices and their delivery of patient care.

Earl Howe: The department consulted on proposals for the registration with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) of primary dental care providers in March 2008 as part of a wider consultation on the scope of registration. The great majority of respondents who commented supported the proposal to register primary dental care. The department set out its response to the consultation indicating that providers would be required to register and published draft regulations for comment in March 2009. The impact assessment published alongside the then draft Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations in October 2009 assessed the transition costs to National Health Service providers of transferring into the registration system to be £4 million to £4.8 million, and the annual costs to be between £2 million and £2.4 million. All providers registered with CQC also have to pay fees. Fee levels will be consulted on by CQC and must be agreed by the Secretary of State.

Olympic Games 2012

Lord Hoyle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the health and safety considerations that make the plan to build a wind turbine at the Olympic Park unfeasible.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: A number of factors have influenced the withdrawal of the preferred bidder from this project. Amongst these, new safety legislation introduced in 2010-and applicable to certain design elements of this particular wind turbine (specifically the internal operator lift)-set compliance requirements that the preferred bidder felt unable to meet before the Games.
	Subsequent industry feedback on the new safety directive, coupled with a challenging delivery timetable, revealed a limited commercial interest in the project, and led the Olympic Delivery Authority to conclude that the installation of a wind turbine was no longer feasible.

Pensions

Lord Grocott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what they estimate to be the cost of establishing and running an independent commission to review the long-term affordability of public sector pensions.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many public sector employees would be involved in a commission to review public sector pensions; and at what salaries they would be employed.

Lord Sassoon: The Government have committed to establishing an independent commission to review the long-term affordability of public sector pensions, while protecting accrued rights, but decisions such as the number of public sector employees involved have yet to be taken.
	The cost of establishing and running the commission will be dependent on the outcome of these decisions.

Quangos

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will arrange for regulatory quangos to include in their annual reports an estimate of the cost to their clients in the public and private sectors of compliance with their requirements.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review the costs and proportionality of compliance with regulations administered by quangos.

Baroness Wilcox: The Government do not currently have plans to require all regulators to compile estimates of costs to the public and private sectors in their annual reports.
	However, the Government are committed to imposing "sunset clauses" on regulations and regulators to ensure that they are regularly reviewed.
	The "one-in, one-out" rule will also mean that no new regulation is brought in without other regulation being cut by a greater amount.

Railways: Franchises

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what legal basis firms taking over a rail franchise are required to pay a premium to the Government for agreeing to the transfer.

Earl Attlee: The legal basis for a change of control payment is contained in the terms of the franchise agreement between the Secretary of State and the train operating company. These give the Secretary of State power to grant or refuse consent to a change of control and to attach conditions to his consent.

Railways: Franchises

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider re-letting the East Coast rail franchise to a mutual company.

Earl Attlee: There is nothing in the franchise-letting process to prevent a mutual company from expressing an interest to bid for a franchise. We run a competitive process in accordance with the Official Journal of the European Union rules and any bidder would have to submit an accreditation questionnaire to prequalify to bid for the franchise.

Railways: Overcrowding

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of additional rail carriages required to prevent routine overcrowding on (a) Northern Rail, and (b) Transpennine Express services; and how many additional carriages are being provided to those operators for that purpose.

Earl Attlee: The Government are assessing their policy for managing crowding on the rail network in the light of overall spending constraints over the next few years. Proposals by the previous Administration for the purchase of additional carriages will be appraised and assessed for affordability, in parallel with the process for determining the Department for Transport's budgets for the spending review period.

Refugee and Migrant Justice

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will commission independent accountants to calculate the additional costs that will be incurred by public bodies as a result of Refugee and Migrant Justice going into administration, including the Legal Services Commission in redundancy costs, paying other providers to take over its clients, their own administrative expenditure and other costs.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord McNally on 16 June (HL185), what assessment the Legal Services Commission have made of any potential financial issues that arise from Refugee and Migrant Justice going into administration; and whether Refugee and Migrant Justice will be concluding cases on behalf of individual clients.

Lord McNally: HM Government will not be commissioning independent accountants to calculate the cost of Refugee and Migrant Justice (RMJ) going into administration. Any costs associated with RMJ will be absorbed within existing budgets. Where any provider ceases to have a legal aid contract for whatever reason, the LSC will make an assessment of any potential financial issues in the individual circumstances. This will include payments on account made, claims to be billed and whether for example the provider will be continuing to conclude cases for existing clients.
	Whether RMJ will be concluding cases on behalf of its clients is a decision for the administrators. The LSC is working closely with the administrators and others to ensure that urgent arrangements are made so that clients continue to receive a good quality service and that where necessary other providers can undertake the work.

Shipping: General Lighthouse Authorities

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much Trinity House spent on the three-day visit in August 2009 by the Duke of Edinburgh; and whether that was funded from the General Lighthouse Fund.

Earl Attlee: The visit of HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, Master of Trinity House, was spent on board THV "Galatea" during which time the vessel carried out programmed buoy servicing work off the south coast of England.
	The additional cost of the Duke of Edinburgh's visit amounted to approximately £3,000. The costs were not funded from the General Lighthouse Fund.

Shipping: General Lighthouse Authorities

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress is being made on re-tendering for a replacement for the Trinity House vessel Patricia.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the General Lighthouse Authorities' fleet will be reduced in line with the C-MAR report's recommendations.

Earl Attlee: The report by consultants C-MAR reviewing the General Lighthouse Authorities' fleet of vessels recommended that there was a need for an additional vessel to retain operational flexibility and to be able to meet emergency response requirements when THV "Patricia" is decommissioned. Trinity House is currently preparing a business case for submission to the Department for Transport. Any subsequent decision on this business case will need to give full consideration to achieving the best possible value for money for the taxpayer.

Shipping: General Lighthouse Authorities

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much was spent on the e-Loran project up to April; and whether its funding, trials and development has ceased.

Earl Attlee: Between 2007 and April 2010, close to £1.6 million was spent on the e-Loran project (a radio-navigation system which enabled ships and other users to determine their exact location). This figure included the cost of installing equipment at the site in Cumbria, funding the transmission, trialling performance, maintaining equipment and contract monitoring with the service provider.
	The funding came from the General Lighthouse Fund and the Department for Transport. Any future funding, trials and development of the system will be appraised to determine its medium and long-term costs and benefits and suitability for continued support, as recommended in the recommendations of the Atkins report entitled "Assessment of the Provision of Marine Aids to Navigation around the UK and Ireland", and which the department is seeking comments.

Tourism

Lord Fearn: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will take steps to improve the competitiveness of the United Kingdom tourist industry.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport outlined a new approach to tourism on 11 June, which is designed to improve the competitiveness of the UK tourism industry and ensure we value the industry as a major national asset. We have set the industry a new goal to increase the proportion of UK residents' tourism spend that goes on domestic holidays to 50 per cent of their total tourism spend at home and abroad. We have also announced our intention to create a new fund with the aim of generating £1 billion-worth of PR and marketing activity.
	The relevant press release can be found on the departmental website (http://www.culture.gov.uk/news/media_releases/7164.aspx). Copies will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Transport: Investment Schemes

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Attlee on 15 June (HL192), whether the details of the proposed reform of transport appraisals will be made open for public consultation.

Earl Attlee: In the coalition agreement we committed to reform the way decisions are made on which transport projects to prioritise, so that the benefits of low-carbon proposals are fully recognised. We will in due course consider: (a) to what extent the Department for Transport's appraisal framework should feature in this, alongside other inputs to prioritisation decisions; and (b) what public consultation would be appropriate.

Water Management

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are their plans for implementing the European Union water framework directive.

Lord Henley: The River Basin Management Plans published on 22 December 2009 set out how Her Majesty's Government will meet the requirements of the European Union water framework directive. The plans were prepared and their delivery is being overseen by the Environment Agency, although many others will be involved in the actions in the plans.
	These actions in River Basin Management Plans will improve over 8,300 miles of rivers in England. The number of water bodies classed as good ecological status or potential will increase from 26 per cent in 2009 to 32 per cent by 2015. The plans also contain proposals for over 8,500 investigations to be completed by the end of 2012. This will provide the necessary evidence to take further action before 2015 where practical.
	Examples of measures planned include: compliance with existing regulations, codes of practice and controls on the use of certain substances; England Catchment Sensitive Farming activities and agri-environment schemes; water efficiency measures; and installation of fish passes at priority sites.